Optical fiber array with high reliability

Abstract

An optical fiber array with high reliability, which relates to the technical field of optical fibers is disclosed. The optical fiber array is composed of three parts, namely, optical fiber positioning substrate ( 1 ), cover plate ( 2 ) and optical fiber ribbon ( 3 ). One end of the optical fiber ribbon is striped to be a naked fiber ( 4 ). The naked fiber ( 4 ) is pressed into the micro-groove array of the optical fiber positioning substrate ( 1 ) by the cover plate ( 2 ) and glued and fixed with a glue layer ( 5 ), and a transitional region between the stripped part and the unstripped part of the optical fiber ribbon ( 3 ) is glued and fixed onto a rear half of the optical fiber positioning substrate ( 1 ) with the glue layer ( 5 ). It has a reasonable and novel structural design. Through frosting of the surfaces of the positioning substrate ( 1 ) and the cover plate ( 2 ) to be bonded with glue, gluing area between the glue layer and the optical fiber positioning substrate, the cover plate and the optical fiber ribbon can be increase and bonding strength of the glue layer can be enhanced so that it can work in harsh environment of high temperature and humidity without de-bonding to ensure positioning accuracy of optical fibers.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An optical fiber array to be applied in a parallel optical fiber transmission system, the optical fiber array comprising:
 an optical fiber positioning substrate having a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion of the optical fiber positioning substrate being spaced apart lengthwise from the second end portion of the optical fiber positioning substrate in a first direction, the optical fiber positioning substrate comprising an upper surface and a plurality of grooves formed in the upper surface extending lengthwise from the first end portion toward the second end portion, the optical fiber positioning substrate having a covered section adjacent the first end portion and an uncovered section adjacent the second end portion, 
 a cover plate having a first end portion and a second end portion, the cover plate being affixed against the upper surface of the optical fiber positioning substrate along the covered section; 
 an optical fiber ribbon comprising a plurality of optical fibers and having a stripped part, an unstripped part, and a transition region between the stripped part and the unstripped part, the stripped part being sandwiched between the substrate and the cover plate along the covered section of the optical fiber positioning substrate such that the cover plate presses each optical fiber of the optical fiber ribbon into a respective one of the plurality of grooves, wherein the transition region overlies the uncovered section of the optical fiber positioning substrate; and 
 a glue layer applied to the optical fiber positioning substrate and having a first section along the covered section bonding the cover plate to the optical fiber positioning substrate and a second section along the uncovered section bonding the transition region of the optical fiber ribbon to the optical fiber positioning substrate, wherein the second section of the glue layer has a first end portion a second end portion spaced apart from the first end portion lengthwise in a second direction opposite the first direction, the first end portion of the second section of the glue layer located adjacent the second end portion of the cover plate and the second end portion of the second section of the glue layer being spaced apart lengthwise from the second end portion of the optical fiber positioning substrate in the first direction such that the second end portion of the optical fiber positioning substrate protrudes lengthwise relative to the second end portion of the glue layer in the second direction. 
 
     
     
       2. An optical fiber array according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper surface of the optical fiber positioning substrate is frosted by one or more frosting processes selected from a group of frosting processes consisting of laser surface treatment and ion etching. 
     
     
       3. An optical fiber array according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the optical fiber positioning substrate and the cover plate are made of quartz glass material and the upper surface of the optical fiber positioning substrate and an opposing lower surface of the cover plate are each frosted; and 
 wherein each of the grooves is one of a C-shaped groove and a V-shaped groove and surfaces of the optical fiber positioning substrate which define the grooves are frosted. 
 
     
     
       4. The optical fiber array as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the optical fiber positioning substrate includes side edges extending from the first end portion to the second end potion, the second section of the glue layer tapering inward from the side edges as the glue layer extends in the second direction toward the second end portion. 
     
     
       5. A method for arraying optical fibers used in a parallel optical fiber transmission system, the method comprising:
 providing an optical fiber positioning substrate, a cover plate and an optical fiber ribbon; 
 frosting opposing surfaces of the optical fiber positioning substrate and the cover plate by at least one of treating the opposing surfaces with a laser surface treatment and ion etching the opposing surfaces; 
 wherein one end of the optical fiber ribbon is stripped to be a naked fiber which is pressed into a micro-groove array of the optical fiber positioning substrate with the cover plate and glued and fixed with a glue layer; and 
 wherein a transitional region between stripped part and unstripped part of the optical fiber ribbon is glued and fixed onto a rear half of the optical fiber positioning substrate with the glue layer. 
 
     
     
       6. A method for arraying optical fibers according to  claim 5 , further comprising
 frosting surfaces defining a plurality of C-shaped grooves or V-shaped grooves of the optical fiber positioning.